The instant invention is in the field of collapsible containers for containing liquids to be dispensed through valves. More specifically, the instant invention is in the field of hand held collapsible containers for containing liquids to be dispensed by inverting the container for gravity flow of the liquid through a one way valve so that air does not enter the collapsible container when the container is righted to stop the flow of the liquid.
Many liquids, such as alcoholic beverages, fruit juices and dairy products rapidly deteriorate upon exposure to oxygen following the initial opening of the container. An important solution to this problem is a collapsible container for containing such liquids to be dispensed through a valve at a controlled volume. Collapsible containers made from animal skins, organs, bota bags, and date back to ancient time.
Many liquids are susceptible to deterioration upon exposure to oxygen. Among these, wines are particularly vulnerable to rapid oxidation due their basic chemistry. To prevent this condition, bottling practices are followed by most commercial wineries, that fill the container under vacuum or by sparging with an inert gas to exclude the oxygen. This precaution is further complicated by the use of closures, i.e. natural cork, susceptible to oxygen intrusion or other containments such as trichloroanisole (TCA). Even with these precautions, when the container is subsequently opened, oxygen intrusion immediately occurs and begins the process of oxidation and spoilage and the remaining product rapidly degrades/spoils.
The introduction of “bag in a box wine” (wherein the wine is contained in a collapsible plastic bag held in a cardboard box and dispensed through a valve at the bottom of the container, closed with a plastic cap) addressed both problems (oxygen intrusion and closure) but is limited in its practical use since the wine cannot be poured, but must be dispensed from the container in an upright position. U.S. Pat. No. 4,330,066 disclosed a bottle having collapsible inner container and a one way valve so that a liquid contained in the collapsible inner container is dispensed when the bottle is inverted and so that flow of air back into the collapsible inner container is prevented by closure of the one way valve when the bottle is righted. The one way valve of the '066 patent must never-the-less accommodate the initial filling of the bottle which seriously limits this approach.